Found (Episode 9 - The Further Chronicles of a Young Lady (and her Maid))

Continued from Episode 8 - Job

The story so far:  You can find out how our two heroines came to be where they are today by reading The Chronicles of a Lady (and her Maid) either here on ABCTales or in book form (link is external).  In brief, 'Ethel' and Gwladys ran away from a life of servitude at the Inn, run by Aefelthrith's former Lord, along with his partner (and their baby), to take their chances on the road , much against Gwladys's better judgement.  Entering a new town, they had to find a way to fund their life on the road.  A pawn shop run by 'Anty Marj' seemed to be the short-term answer and a lengthy negotiation secured a good deal on Aefelthrith's ring, until Anty Marj suddently vanished before the deal was completed.  Discovering her lifeless body in the Stock Room, Aeflethrith decided this was a sign that they should take over the business.  With Anty Marj safely stowed in an outhouse, Gwladys and Aefelthrith set about running the pawn shop and all seemed to be going reasonably well, until  Anty Marj's body vanished and an officer of the Watch, appeared.  When the Watch produced a confused Anty Marj, wondering why someone else was running her shop, Gwladys managed to convince her that she had sold the shop to them, palming Aefelthrith's ring into her pocket to demonstrate payment.  A suddenly hugely enriched Anty Marj went away a happy woman and the Watch withdrew, satisfied.  Meanwhile, Gwladys engaged a young urchin, 'Arry, to help clear the back garden of weeds, as a means of giving him a bit of income to support his poorly mother and avoid him either going down the pit or up the chimney, much to Aefelthrith's displeasure:

It was early morning and Gwladys was sitting peacefully at the kitchen table, taking advantage of the relative quiet to do a little reading,  Aefelthrith staggered down stairs and scowled at her.
“Why are you up so early?” She yawned and frowned.
“Thought I’d do a bit of readin’ up” Gwladys licked a finger and turned a page of the large ledger.
“Reading up?  What, pray tell, are you ‘reading up’?”  Aefelthrith shuffled into the kitchen heading for the kettle on the stove.
“I’m readin’ Anty Marj’s ledger.  I wanter get a feel fer ‘ow she valued stuff”
“Seems to me the woman advanced money on anything that came into the shop!” Aefelthrith sniffed.
“Werl, mebbe she did.  I dunno, ‘cause we ain’t got no record of what she didner take on.  Any road, I’m workin’ me way through this shelf to see what she bought an’ ‘ow much she paid” Gwladys indicated the range of objects on the table, which included old boots, some tools, a few items of jewellery that had definitely seen better days and one or two plates and dishes.
“Do you think this is a worthwhile use of your time?”  Aefelthrith frowned, poured herself a drink and sat down beside her.
“Yeah, I reckon it’ll ‘elp, on account of I’ve no idea ‘ow much any of this is worth.  I’m startin’ to get a feel for ‘ow much she reckoned to pay an’ she’s got a note in the ledger ‘ere of ‘ow much she thinks it might be worth if she ‘ad to sell it” Gwladys looked pleased with herself.
“And is there a useful margin between what she advanced and what the item might be worth?”
“Werl, yeah, mostly” Gwladys nodded, “depends on what it is.  Jewellery an’ stuff, that’s worth a whole lot more than owt she gave out.  Boots and tools, not so much, ter be ‘onest, but that’s where she was canny…”
“Not an expression I would have applied to her”
“Werl, yer’d be wrong.  See, she knows that the boots an’ tools an’ stuff, they ain’t got much of a value if yer ‘ad to sell ‘em BUT they’ve got a ‘uge value to the poor bugger what’s ‘avin’ to pledge ‘em.  So, yer can risk advancin’ more’n they’re actually worth, see, ‘cause the person what’s pawned ‘em def’nitely needs ‘em back.  See worrimean?”
“I’m not at all sure that dealing with such dross is quite what I envisaged when I first invested in this business” Aefelthrith looked at the collection of items, with distaste.
“Invested?  Since when did you invest in it?  You were all for nickin’ it orf'f a dead woman”
“You may recall that my ring has been forfeited to buy this place” Aefelthrith drew herself up from her post-awakening slump and glared at Gwladys.
“Werl, first off, it were’nt your ring, it were yer man’s, an’ ‘e only lost it on account of ‘im slicin’ ‘is own ‘and orf.  Second, if we ‘adn’t ‘ave coughed that up, we would ‘ave ‘ad our collars felt by the Watch, so yer pays yer money and yer teks yer choice, don’tcher?”
“Hmph!” Aefelthrith scowled and retreated behind her mug.  “Anyway, why are you up so early?”
“’Cause ‘Arry’s ‘ere” Gwladys explained, jerking a thumb toward the garden and peering at the ledger.
“’Arry?  At this time of day?  Why?”
“’E’s makin’ a start on the garden” Gwladys explained.’
“At this ungodly hour?”
“’S daylight innit?  Yer’ve gotter make best use of the ‘ours of daylight, ain’t yer?”
“I do not really know why we are having this work done in the first place, and certainly not at this hour”’
“It’s puttin’ a few pennies on their table an’ stoppin’ ‘im ‘avin’ to do some bloody awful job just to keep a roof over their ‘eads.  Plus, we’ll get somewhere to grow a bit of veg, mebbe keep a goat or two?”
“Oh, be still my beating heart!” Aefelthrith put her hand to her chest, in a dramatic fashion.
“It’s all very well fer you ter tek the ‘owsyerfather but yer wunner be moanin’ when yer’ve got some nice fresh veg and milk on the table, will yer?  Any road, it shouldn’t be just me what’s doin’ this ‘ere” Gwladys indicated the ledger and the pawned items, “yer need to know ‘ow ter value stuff an’ all”
“Oh, I do not think so” Aefelthrith shook her head, briskly, “I see myself as more of an… ideas person”
“Ideas?” Gwladys looked at her colleague, incredulously, “the only idea yer’ve ‘ad so far ‘as been to nick this place off’n Anty Marj an’ look at where that nearly got us!”
The kitchen door burst open and ‘Arry made an entrance.
“’Ey up missus, I’ve foun’ summat” He held out a grubby hand which contained some white shards of pottery.
“Ah, yeah” Gwladys nodded, “bits of clay pipe.  They were prob’ly from the builders what put this place up all them years ago”
“Oh, right” ‘Arry looked dejected, “I thought it might be the bones of summat”
“No, sorry ‘Arry” Gwladys grinned at him, “but thanks for tellin’ us”
‘Arry departed.
“So, what are yer plannin’ ter do ‘round ‘ere then?” Gwladys poured herself a drink and glared at Aefelthrith.
Aeflethrith stretched and considered for a moment.
“I suppose” She said, after a while, “that I rather hoped my presence would encourage a better class of client, leading to higher value and status items being deposited with us”
“Didjer?” Gwladys raised an eyebrow, “So, lemme get this right.  Yer not proposin’ ter actually DO anythin’, just be ‘ere, right?”
“Well, I think that is rather simplifying the situation, somewhat” Aefelthrith sniffed.
The door burst open, again.
“I’ve foun’ summat else” ‘Arry looked very pleased with himself, “Look!”  He held out a hand that, this time, contained three, very soiled, farthings.
“That’s good, ‘Arry” Gwladys beamed, “Now, seein’ as ‘ow yer’ve been ‘onest an’ tole me about these, I’ll let yer keep one, right?”
‘Arry looked as if he had won a fortune.
“But, mark my words” Gwladys looked at him, severely, and wagged an admonitory finger, “that’s only ‘cause yer’ve been ‘onest with me.  If I find yer’ve taken’ summat and not tole me…”
“I wunner do that, missus.  Me mam’d ‘ave me guts fer garters”
“Werl, she’s a fine an’ ‘onest woman, then” Gwladys grinned.
‘Arry departed, again, this time clutching his new-found fortune.
“That’s a bit of luck” Gwladys rubbed the soil from the two remaining coins, “every little ‘elps, dunnit?  Partic’ly if yer doin’ nowt ter bring owt in” She glanced in Aefelthrith’s direction.
“I had it in mind to form connections with some of the better class of people in the town.  Call on them and make myself known, that type of thing” Aefelthrith said, airily.
“Werl, s’pose it couldn’t ‘urt” Gwladys grudgingly conceded.
Aefelthrith smiled to herself and dozed a little, still clutching her cup.  She was rudely awakened by ‘Arry making another entrance.
“Dunner tell me, yer’ve fount a King’s ransom in jewellery, eh?” Gwladys chuckled.
“Nah, missus, I wish I ‘ad” ‘Arry looked perturbed and was holding something behind his back.
“Werl, worrisit?” Gwladys cocked her head to one side.
“It’s this, missus” ‘Arry produced, from behind his back, what was, unmistakably, because ‘Arry was holding the object with his fingers through the eye sockets, the clean white bones of a human skull.
“Oh, bugger!” Gwladys said, with her hand to her mouth.

You can find the previous adventures of Gwladys and Aefelthrith in both Kindle and paperback formats at The Chronicles of a Young Lady (and her Maid (link is external)

Now read Episode 10